No Hesitation
by InkedMidnight
Summary: There's no more waiting, no more holding back. They both decide to dive in together. A continuation of the season finale right where it left off. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

She laced her cold fingers through his warm, dry ones, sending him a smile as she tugged him in the direction they both longed to head towards.

Through the crackle of lightning, the booming thunder, and the torrential downpour, she had managed to make her way to his home. But that was nothing in comparison to the years of obstacles they've had to overcome to get to this moment. She knew there was no turning back, no more pretending, no more waiting; she was diving into this moment headfirst.

She slipped her free hand into his other one and walked backwards, wanting to see his face as she led him across the threshold of his room. Neither of them said a word, afraid that any vocalizations or questions as to whether this moment was real or not would cause the dream to shatter, and the thought of that happening was too painful to bear. So instead they let the thunder play soundtrack to their moment and let their eyes open up enough to make words unnecessary.

She stopped in the middle of his room, watching him watch her with an emotion that could only be described as wonder. She briefly thought about what was showing on her own face, but the thought was lost when he took a step closer to her. He narrowed the distance until they were breathing the same breath and she could see the golden flecks in his eyes as a flash of lightning illuminated the shadows on his face.

He reached up and smoothed a lock of wet hair behind her ear with his thumb. He didn't need to say what she could read on his face, he was still wondering if this was real or another one of his dreams, doomed to wake up and return to a reality where he did not dare look at her and touch her like he currently was.

If it was a dream, she wasn't about to let it stop there.

No turning back.

No pretending.

No waiting.

No hesitation.

They collided.

She kissed him deeply, a taste she will never tire of nor ever be able to forget. She is momentarily aware of her heart beating so erratically she was sure it was trying to break out of her chest before other things pulled her focus.

Her hands dove into his hair, attempting to pull him closer than he already was, a nearly impossible task.

His hands weren't idle and she felt a shiver strike up her spine when his fingertips ran up the exposed skin on her sides where her wet shirt was sticking. She wasn't sure if it was from her cold and wet clothing or his actions.

She heard a noise and quickly discovered it was his attempt to close the bedroom door when she felt her back pushed up against it none too gently and heard the lock click.

Her breathing was already labored but still managed to hitch when his lips began to devour her neck. She shivered again, this time positive that it had nothing to do with the cold.

She felt slightly ridiculous when her knees shook after he found her pulse point and dragged his teeth gently across it.

She could feel him smiling against her skin; the man was reducing her to a puddle, and he knew it. She probably would have cared more if she weren't enjoying it so damn much. He nipped at her skin and another shiver tore through her, this time in anticipation.

Her hands were slightly desperate as they attacked the buttons on his shirt, each one taking far too long to undo. When she got the last one unclasped, she tore the fabric from his shoulders and threw it somewhere. She was barely able to catch her breath before his lips were back on hers and she was lost once more. Her fingers wandered and explored the newly exposed area, feeling his muscles twitch and jump below her fingertips, this time it was her lips smiling into the kiss.

She felt him tugging at the remaining buttons on her blouse. He must have been getting frustrated with the uncooperative fabric because she heard a tearing sound and felt the blouse fall open. The cool air breezed across her damp skin as he slid the shirt off her shoulders and to the ground.

The fact that her shirt was probably ruined seemed inconsequential with his lips creating a trail of fire down her body, heating it up one open mouthed kiss at a time. Besides, who cares about a couple buttons?

She was reminded that she led him in here for a reason as he pulled her towards the bed in the middle of the room and tumbled her down onto it. Her back met the fabric and her suspicions as to its comfort were confirmed as she sighed contentedly. Not that she'd ever admit to wondering about it.

She could feel her wet hair dripping rainwater onto her shoulders, leaving her bare skin glistening. The storm was getting stronger outside and she heard the rain beating against the glass window beside the bed.

A streak of lightning lit up the room, revealing the contours of his chest as he hovered above her and looked down at her, completely mesmerized. She was pretty sure that she was looking at him the same way.

His hair was wild from her fingers running through it, his pupils dilating, chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to take in as much oxygen as possible while they paused to catch their breath.

She reached for his belt, undoing the latch quickly and slowly sliding it from the belt loops of his jeans before depositing it on the floor beside the bed.

They didn't break eye contact as her nimble fingers undid the button and dragged the zipper down. She pulled the pants as far down with her arms as she could before he finished the job and let them accompany his belt on the floor.

He covered her lips with his; letting their tongues continue the battle they had been fighting previously. He trailed his lips to her cheek, soon followed by her neck, briefly returning to the same sensitive spot as before and smiling when she shivered like before.

He continued to leave open mouthed kisses in a path down her neck, through the valley of her chest, taking special care to kiss the scar left there by the bullet that almost claimed her life, before continuing down across her toned stomach, feeling her muscles twitch and shiver beneath him. He listened to her breathing as he moved, learning quickly which spots were most sensitive by the small gasps she didn't know she was making when he touched a certain spot.

When he reached the top of her jeans, his eyes looked up and connected with hers. Again their eyes stayed locked on one another as, just as she had done, he slowly undid the button and slid the zipper down, hearing each individual click until he reached the bottom.

Placing his hands on the sides of her legs, he slid the wet jeans off her legs, using the excuse of the extra friction to touch her skin more than necessary, and they slowly slid down and joined his own.

His palms trailed up her cold legs, fire against ice, heating her up quickly and making her squirm slightly.

She realized that he had no intention of rushing this as his palms swept slowly over her legs again. He waited over three years for this moment and he had learned patience, no matter how torturous it was for her.

He replaced his hands with his lips and she felt him kissing his way from her ankle, up her smooth calf, over her thigh, before moving across and repeating the same ministrations on the other leg.

She realized that she was probably going to combust before they got anywhere, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that that was probably what he wanted.

Hoping to even things out, she arched her back and reached behind her, successful unclasping her bra with practiced hands. Drawing the fabric from her body, she threw it to the side.

She felt his lips stop their movements on her leg, and as the next string of lightning illuminated the room, she was able to see that his attention was no longer on her legs.

She could see his resolve wavering as she saw the lust fill his eyes more fully. He seemed to be warring with himself, want and need battling patience.

Want and need won. She felt the only clothing that remained on her body slip down her legs and out of sight.

She didn't need a flash of lightning to know that his eyes were on her. All of her. Taking her in. She felt a flush creep over her chest and up her neck, yet she resisted the urge to move from under his scrupulous examination. His face held wonder, awe, lust, and a million other things she couldn't name but could only feel. She had never let herself be so open before. She had finally let her walls come down and let him get closer to her than anyone ever has. She was damaged and broken, but he wanted her anyways.

She watched as he removed his boxers, but still kept her eyes on his face. She slid farther up the bed until her head was resting on the pillow as he slowly climbed over her, never breaking eye contact.

Through the pouring of the rain and the rumble of thunder, their heavy breaths still filled the air and she was sure her heart was beating so loud that he must have been able to hear it.

That look that she couldn't name was on his face again. She has noticed him looking at her with the same expression over the past years. When she would catch him staring, after near brushes with death, or even just when he would hand her coffee in the morning. She realized it had always been there, hiding beneath everything else. And now she knew what it was.

It was love.

She reached up and let her thumb trace his lips, cheek, and jaw.

No turning back.

No pretending.

No waiting.

No hesitation.

His eyes held a question, and she gave him a soft smile in answer.

He pushed into her.

Her eyes slid closed as the feeling washed over her and her breath caught in her throat.

He slid tortuously slow until he completely filled her and she heard him let out a shallow breath that sounded like her name.

Neither of them moved. Both just continued to absorb the moment. The perfection of it all. It couldn't be real. She didn't dare breathe.

She couldn't tell if it was moments, hours, or days later that he began to move. Pulling almost completely out of her before moving back in. She realized that she needed to breathe, and when she did it came out as a gasp and a breathy sigh.

Her eyes were clenched tight, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, wanting-no needing more. Her back arched when this caused him to go even deeper than he already was. She knew she would not be lasting long.

He found a rhythm and she realized the mewling sounds that she was hearing were coming from her own throat and she had to bite her lip to stop the moan that was threatening to break from her lips.

She opened her eyes and saw him watching her. His arms were tensed beside her and she felt the muscles of his back rippling with control beneath her fingertips. He was using all of his strength to hold back and keep the steady rhythm he had created without coming undone. She envied his control and could feel a coil building in her abdomen that grew tighter and tighter with each thrust. She was going to fall apart from everything she was feeling and she was going to let him be the one to cause it.

Her heart beat faster and faster under his intense, enthralling gaze and she no longer had any control of the sounds she was creating. She didn't care as long as he didn't stop.

He didn't stop. Instead, he must have felt how close she was because he sped up and adjusted his angle, reading her reactions until he was sure he found the right combination.

She choked on her breath as her fingernails dug into his skin, leaving bruises and scratches for sure, her back arching languidly towards him. The coil in her abdomen grew tighter and tighter, taking her to the very edge before one more thrust from him completely threw her over into oblivion.

His mouth covered hers just as her eyes squeezed closed and everything exploded behind her eyelids. He swallowed her cries of his name as wave after wave washed over her and her entire body trembled and shook beneath him. She felt his own resolve give quickly after and soon they were falling together. Drowning in an endless sea that pulled them under and tossed them in every direction, not releasing them for what felt like an eternity.

It took her a while to resurface and when the blissful haze was cleared from her mind and she opened her eyes, she found him in a similar state on top of her. There wasn't an inch of their skin that wasn't touching and his mouth was placing lazy kisses on the side of her neck as they waited for their breathing to even out. There was a thin layer of sweat covering them both and their hearts continued to hammer in their chests.

They lay there, neither quite able to understand what just happened, neither having experienced anything like it, not even in some of his wildest dreams involving her. All of the times she's spent with past men were incomparable and she knew she would never want to experience it any other way ever again.

He held on to her and rolled them so that she was tucked into his side with his arm wrapped around her, her head resting on his chest comfortably.

They lay like that for a long time, listening to the storm as it turned into rain, then a drizzle, and eventually just a pitter-patter on the window. The slight luminance of lightning came less often and not as brightly, leaving them in a warm darkness that was only slightly illuminated by an outside streetlight.

He drew random patterns on her bare shoulder and arm with his fingertips, causing goosebumps to rise in their wake and a drowsiness to creep in, the events of the day catching up with her.

Neither of them said anything. Neither of them had to. Not even a writer as capable as him could adequately describe what they shared.

As her eyelids began to slowly fall, she realized she had never been more content. He loved her, and she was beginning to realize that she had felt the same for quite a while.

**A/N: Next chapter should be up soon. Reviews are welcome and appreciated.**

** ~InkedMidnight**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CASTLE**

* * *

Castle carefully gripped the two mug handles with his left hand while holding the steaming plate of pancakes in the other, trying not to drip maple syrup onto his hardwood floor.

His knuckle brushed the side of the steaming mug and he winced, feeling his skin grow hot.

He had woken up about an hour ago; rising from sleep slowly in fear that it was a dream, a hallucination, a product of his overactive imagination.

But when he had opened his eyes, there she was. Still sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling under the sheets with each breath. Her chestnut colored hair splayed across the pillow and her hand lying in between them, telling him that she must have been holding onto him for a majority of the night.

He had lain there for a while; thinking about how hard she would hit him if she caught him staring at her like that.

A sudden fear had struck him that the second she woke up she would be gone and off pretending that the night didn't exist. He thought that maybe if he made her breakfast, he could get her to stay.

So that all got him to where he was currently, standing in his boxers, just outside the door to his bedroom, carrying more pancakes than either of them could ever eat and two mugs of coffee that were starting to burn his hand.

With one last deep breath, he pushed the door open slowly with his shoulder and stepped inside.

The sight that greeted him took his breath away and stopped him in his tracks.

She was awake, propping herself up with her hands behind her and the sheets tucked around her sides. Her eyes met his and he was rooted to the spot.

"Hi" She said softly.

"Hi" He returned.

The sight of Kate Beckett in his bed was enough to make him breathless. Her hair was frazzled and the skin that was showing from underneath the sheets was the color of ivory. Her makeup was slightly smudged, giving her eyes a smoky look. If he ever had to describe sexy to someone, this would be it.

He knew right then that he wanted to wake up every morning like this. He pushed the thought that she might not feel the same from his mind before he could dwell on it for very long.

He realized that she had said something while he was staring and he had completely missed it.

She noticed and repeated herself, "Is one of those for me?" Her eyes flicking to the hand that was holding the cups of coffee, a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah" He cleared his throat, "One cream, two sugars, extra hot."

He willed his legs to move and brought it over to her, his fingertips brushing hers as he handed it over, leaving his tingling.

She kept her eyes on him as she brought the mug to her lips and took a grateful sip of the dark liquid. Placing the plate of food on the bedside table, he resumed his spot next to her on the bed and busied himself with drinking his own coffee.

A million thoughts were running through his mind. What did this mean for them? Was she going to stay? Was she just going to forget it ever happened? Did she expect him to do the same?

"So, pancakes?"

He turned his head to look at her, shaken from his thoughts.

"I thought you might want breakfast." He explained hesitantly, trying not to be too obvious about asking her to stay.

There were a few beats of silence as she looked at him.

"Sounds good." She said with a smile.

He released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and returned the smile, taking a large sip of his drink, forgetting that it would burn his tongue too late and wincing.

They sat there for a while, munching on pancakes and sipping their coffee, both relieved that the silence wasn't tense or awkward, just comfortable.

He kept sneaking glances over at her, quickly getting swept up into the memory of the night before, the feel of his lips on her skin. Her lithe body beneath his, muscles tensing.

"Darn it." He heard her say from beside him, knocking him back into the present moment.

He looked over at her to see syrup dripping down the side of her hand and leaving a sticky trail.

She started tracing the line with her tongue and he swallowed hard, his eyes growing dark. She stopped, feeling his eyes on her, and glanced up.

"You know what? I think I'm just going to take a shower." She said.

And before he could blink or clear his throat, she was standing up, the sheets slipping sensually from her body, leaving her backside exposed to his appreciative eyes as she strolled towards the bathroom.

All he could do was stare after her, his mouth hanging open, the cup of coffee brought halfway to his lips completely forgotten.

Just as she slipped out of sight she called back, "You're welcome to join me."

His last thought before he practically threw his coffee aside and went after her was that she was going to be the death of him.

And he didn't mind one bit.

* * *

They took their time exploring each other in the daylight.

He meticulously made sure that he found each birthmark, scar, and freckle on her body and traced it with fingers and lips.

He kissed her deeply against the cool tile, letting the heated water run over both their bodies.

Neither of them could keep the smiles off their lips for more than a couple seconds as the heat intensified and steam rolled and twisted around them.

He wanted to say it, but he didn't want to scare her away. He was terrified that one wrong move would cause her to slip away and never come back. And he knew he would never survive that.

Only after they had washed each other methodically multiple times with wandering hands did she step out of the shower. He made a whining noise and tried to pull her back in, making her laugh as she sidestepped his hands. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, still feeling the smile on her lips.

Hunting around for her clothing, she found it scattered all around the room and marveled at their throwing ability.

"You know, you could have spared my shirt." She called, holding the torn fabric up and trying to see if it was reparable.

She felt his hands wrap around her to settle over her stomach and his chin rest on her shoulder, "I wasn't feeling very patient."

She turned her head to look at him, one eyebrow raised, "Well, since this is no longer wearable, I guess I'll just have to borrow something of yours."

"But I like you so much better this way." He said, emphasizing the point by nibbling her shoulder gently.

She hummed her agreement as his lips traveled up her shoulder to her exposed neck.

"If you were wearing clothing, then I wouldn't be able to do this." He said, nibbling the spot just near her pulse point that caused goosebumps to crawl over her skin and her body to freeze in his arms.

"But alright, I guess I'll find you something." He said, quickly unwrapping his arms and walking away. The sudden loss of heat and lips from her skin was abrupt.

She sent him a glare.

He smiled at her in a knowing way and rummaged through his drawers before grabbing a shirt and tossing it to her along with a pair of sweatpants.

"They're the smallest I've got but they're still going to be-."

Whatever he was going to say got caught in his throat when she dropped her towel and pulled on her underwear and bra. He wasn't the only one that knew right where to hit.

He sent her a faux glare and rummaged around for his own clothing.

She pulled the clothing on and was encompassed in the essence of him. The sweatpants were infinitely more comfortable than her wet jeans, and the t-shirt was soft against her skin and smelled distinctly of him.

She made a note to borrow his clothes more often.

* * *

She had never had such a relaxing day. She spent a majority of it just lounging around, catching glances from him that made her stomach tighten.

They got the place to themselves because his daughter was off with friends still and his mother was spending the day elsewhere.

The morning passed into afternoon, she browsed his library while he made them lunch. Her fingers tracing the spines of his novels, a special smile covering her lips when she found the nikki heat collection

She could see the happiness on his face every time he looked at her. She felt sad that she could have made this happen a long time ago and wondered about all the time they had lost and whether things would have turned out differently. She wondered if she would have stayed.

As the afternoon turned to evening, she lay across his couch with her head on his lap, dozing as his fingers ran through her hair.

His other hand was rubbing circles over one of her hands, looking at the rough skin left over from hanging from the rooftop.

He didn't have to ask, "I'm glad you're okay."

A brief glimpse of that alarming view from the rooftop passed in her mind and she felt herself grimace.

"Me too. It was pretty close."

He kissed the pads of her fingers and she knew that he would want details eventually, but for now he was just happy that she was here.

"You don't have to go into work tomorrow, right? I mean they should at least give you one day off."

She felt a cold chill rush through her and her eyes opened.

"No, I don't have to go in." She said softly after a moment, looking away.

He felt her body language change and looked down at her, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She automatically responded, sitting up and laying back against the couch.

"Beckett." He said, trying to get her to look at him, but she was lost in thought.

"Kate." He tried again, softer this time.

She looked at him.

"You know you can tell me anything."

She saw that same look in his eyes that made her heart stutter.

"I quit."

There were a few beats of silence between them.

"You what?"

"I turned in my badge."

Another pause.

"Why?" He asked, the surprise written all over his face.

She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Because I couldn't do it anymore."

Understanding dawned on his face. He didn't ask her to elaborate or explain. He didn't have to.

"Are you okay?" He asked, letting his hand fall to the side of her face, smoothing her cheek with his thumb.

She smiled sadly, "Yeah. I'm okay." Turning in to his hand.

He was looking at her that way again. The way that made her heart thud and her skin tingle and the corners of her lips turn up.

He must have seen it on her face because his smile grew a little wider and he leaned toward her.

"Does this mean you're going to find another muse for your inspiration?" She asked when his lips were less than a brush away.

She felt more than saw his grin as he said, "Never" and kissed her.

He leaned into her farther and she laid down across the couch, feeling a burden lift from her shoulders that she didn't know was there.

She had been worried that he was going to be upset when he found out she quit; expected him to tell her that she was giving up, and that she should go back and beg for her job.

She should have known better.

She kept forgetting that he knew her. He more than knew her, he knew her better than she knew herself. That should have scared the crap out of her. But instead, as his soft lips caressed hers she realized she loved it.

She loved that he knew exactly how she liked her coffee in the morning. Loved that he knew when to give her space, but also knew when she was stuck in her own thoughts and should try to get her out.

She loved that he knew how to make her laugh, and knew when to be patient with her when she was being unreasonable and irrational.

Loved that he knew about her mom and understood why she wanted to become a detective in the first place, but also understood why she decided to leave it behind.

She never believed that anyone could ever get this close to her because she never let them.

He found a way in that not only made her share everything with him, but made her _want_ to share it with him.

Her heart thudded faster and faster in her chest.

"I think I love you." She breathed on a sigh.

They both froze.

She opened her eyes, realizing that she had said that out loud before her mind had even fully processed it.

The room was filled with their breathing and nothing more; as he swept her up with his eyes she realized that what she said was true. She just hadn't realized it completely until that moment.

He kissed her deeply, showing her how affected he was by her words, slowly pouring every ounce of feeling into one moment.

"I love you." He said, repeating it on a whisper each time after kissing her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids, before returning to her lips again.

The smile on his face was stretched so wide she laughed.

"Are you sure you don't want to follow someone else around?" She asked jokingly, raising one eyebrow while running her fingers through his hair.

He kissed her hard enough to make her toes curl.

"Nope, you're never getting rid of me now." He said, grinning.

She didn't doubt that, but she also didn't mind it for a second.

* * *

**A/N: This story was fun to write even thought it wasn't a long one. I would love to hear what you guys think, so don't be afraid to review!**

**InkedMidnight**


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